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Science highlights ICIQ's research in their latest issue

Melchiorre‘s and Urakawa‘s paper published recently in JACS has been highlighted in this week Editors’ Choice in Science.The editors of Science select the most relevant papers across the different scientific disciplines that have been recently published in literature. This week, the editors have chosen the paper entitled ‘Diastereodivergent Asymmetric Sulfa-Michael Additions of α-Branched Enones using a Single Chiral Organic Catalyst‘ as one of the highlights of recent literature.

‘In this research, we have found a way of modulating the diastereoselectivity of a single catalyst using a proper chemical signal, to select “at will” which one among the full matrix of stereoisomers is selectively formed (control over the relative and absolute configuration).’ – says Professor Melchiorre.

In the paper they explain how simple modifications to the reaction conditions of the sulfa-Michael reaction of α,β-disubstituted unsaturated ketones can switch the diastereoselectivity of a single chiral catalyst to obtain either the syn or anti product with high enantioselectivity.

‘I am excited with the idea that engineering a chiral catalyst whose catalysis function changes in response to an external chemical stimulus may become a key design and a conceptual framework for designing future generations of chiral catalysts, expanding the way chemists think about making chiral molecules.’ – adds Paolo.

We are also excited and looking forward to the future design of those chiral catalysts.

Congratulations!